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I Gave Up My DVR Because There Are Easier and Better Options

I’m a re-run junky. I love watching old episodes of shows like Seinfeld, Big Bang, Everybody Loves Raymond, and I also binge on Gordon Ramsey! There are even weekends when I catch up on full seasons of Game of Thrones and The Big C. I used to DVR all of this, but changing to a lower cost cable package resulted in my losing my DVR.

On Demand With our DVR, we’d record shows but service was inconsistent and we couldn’t always see the entire show. On Demand features most of our favorite current tv shows sorted by network. Easy to find, and you can go back and watch older shows, or binge for an entire day without filling up your “library”. And the good news is it’s free!

“Free Weekends” Watch for notices from your cable service online. Many premium channels offer free weekends, even if you don’t have premium service. We got addicted to Game of Thrones then cancelled HBO but caught up on an entire season and then some when HBO ran a special weekend. You may even be able to download episodes and movies to watch at a later date. As an added feature, some cable providers also offer weekend or family specials where you get two movies for the price of one!

Hulu, Netflix and Amazon These services are not free, but provide multiple options for streaming movies, television shows, and more.

Hulu is a free service with upgrade options, has great shows for kids and all your favorite current tv shows. Netflix is also a great option at only $7.99/mo. You can watch movies, tv shows and there are no contracts (like with your cable provider). With a Prime Account, Amazon Instant Prime gives access to 150,000 movies and TV episodes, which you can buy or rent, plus 40,000 more titles available for unlimited streaming. While both Netflix and Amazon involve a subscription, the fee is far smaller than a monthly cable bill.

And best of all, with all three of the above, you can access from multiple devices. On the road or at home, including:

TV

PS3

Wii

Tablets

Smart devices

Smart TVs

New Interests Admit it, life should be about more than TV. As an adult with a full-time job and a home to care for, I’ve decided I need to get active. We’ve purchased kayaks, and I’ve taken up writing. Trying to stay caught up with so many TV shows was cutting back on my ability to get out and enjoy life. Losing my DVR (voluntarily) has given me time to do the things that I can really enjoy, and feel good about at the end of the day. With so many other ways to catch up or binge on a show when I feel the need, I’m glad to have made the decision to lose the DVR.